Bhushan fined 10L for 2013 furnace mishap

Dhenkanal: The chief judicial magistrate court today imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd in connection with a blast furnace mishap at its Meramundali plant near here which killed a labourer and left 19 others injured in 2013.

A deadly explosion had occurred at the slag pit during the trial run of the blast furnace No.2 on November 19, 2013. Official sources said the company was fined for not strictly adhering laws pertaining to health, environment and safety.

The judgement followed after a case was filed on the basis of a report submitted by the State Directorate of Factories and Boilers with regard to the mishap. In the report, the directorate had mentioned about violation of safety measures by the company at the plant site.

Though, officially, it was stated that one person was killed and 19 others were injured in the incident, suspicions persist over the exact number of casualties as a number of workers were present close to the furnace at the time of explosion, hinting at higher death toll.